


Beautiful People Will Ruin Your Life

by manchester_macchiatos



Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: Alcohol, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - College/University, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, BPWRYL, Based on a song, Beautiful People Will Ruin Your Life (Album), College, Coming Out, Dissociation, Falling In Love, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Mental Health Issues, Roommates, Song Lyrics, Strangers to Lovers, and they were ROOMMATES, oh my god they were roommates????, the wombats
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-21
Updated: 2018-06-21
Packaged: 2019-05-26 08:43:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,459
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14997122
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/manchester_macchiatos/pseuds/manchester_macchiatos
Summary: Dan has a tendency of fading away when things become too much. Phil has a tendency of giving his all from the getgo. Dan reads into everything. Phil can't see between the lines. Dan falls fast but finds it hard to trust. Phil trusts fast but doesn't know how to fall.They are polar opposites yet somehow all the pieces slot in so perfectly together.





	Beautiful People Will Ruin Your Life

**Author's Note:**

> This fanfic is based off "Beautiful People Will Ruin Your Life"- an album released by The Wombats in February, 2018. All the songs in this album have been rewritten into this story. The songs are not in order for the sake of the plot. Each chapter will be the name of a song. 
> 
> I do not claim to have any knowledge of Dan and Phil's relationship. This is all for entertainment.

_ “I wanna come back to me _ _   
_ _ I wanna come back _ _   
_ __ I wanna get out of my head”   
\- Out Of My Head   
  
Empty dorm walls seemed to echo so much more than his poster ridden ones back at home. He brushed his hand over his chin and surveyed the dull cream tones that surrounded him, thinking he’d have to change that if he wanted to make it through even one semester of university. Just thinking for a second about how much he had to do made the blood rush to his head.    
  
Dan collapsed back on his air mattress and picked up his phone, noting the single text from his mother asking how he’d been doing. He’d reply to it later when he was in a better mind frame. Texting anyone when he was feeling slightly dissociated wasn’t a good idea. He could make anything sound depressing when his view of the world was blurred and monochromatic. The textured walls and the unfurnished room he’d confined himself to wasn’t exactly helping that all too much. Grounding wasn’t working either. After about 20 minutes of just walking aimlessly around his room, Dan decided that he’d just let the wave pass over, maybe take a nap afterward. Who knew what the future would bring?   
  
Knock knock knock. “Dan?”   
  
His roommate had arrived at their shared little dorm space late that morning, with only two large suitcases and a backpack. Dan had brought a fair bit more, thinking that living in this home away from home for half a year probably meant dragging his entire bedroom halfway across the country with him. They’d been comfortable silent for most of the day, only talking about and planning small grocery trips- Dan couldn’t even remember the boy's name. It took the boy calling out to Dan again before he could croak out a small “what?”   
  
“I’m ordering Vietnamese for dinner, did you want something?’   
  
Dan thought for only a second and decided he’d just order himself something later. Maybe even cook something small if he could gather the energy. Trying to place an order alongside his roommate would involve acting human when his brain didn’t want to work. Far too much effort.   
  
“Nah, I’m good… thanks”   
  
“Okay.”   
  
The ceiling above him seemed to rapidly fade in and out of focus as the boy’s footsteps made their way away from Dan’s bedroom door. All that Dan could hear as his vision faded away to nothing, was the muffled sound of a deep voice placing a complex order over the phone.   
  
\---   
  
“Dan- Dan? Are you alright?”   
  
As if opening his eyes for the first time in his life, the light of the room seemed to blind him- causing pain to make its way to his temples and urge on the beginning of a throbbing headache. There was a face above him, but he couldn’t make out any features. The voice was low, and the words sounded like they were slurring together. Distant sounds from other dorms and an ambulance on a nearby street harmonized together to perform an augmented symphony, only making him want to shut his eyes and disappear again. He let out a low groan, and the face above him disappeared from view.   
  
Dan slowly opened his eyes, letting them adjust to the pale yellow light of his tiny dorm room. Slowly, he started listing the noises internally, separating them from one another to ground himself back in reality like his therapist had taught him to do. Ambulance. Party. Electrical hum. Cupboard door. Footsteps.    
  
“Dan, I have some Panadol.”   
  
Two small taps. One louder thump. Dan turned over to his right, and his eyes focused on the two small pills and cup of water now resting on a cardboard box beside his bed. Sitting beside them was a confused looking man, with black hair pushed back into a messy quiff and glasses framing piercing blue eyes.    
  
“Wh-” Dan croaked, and then coughed a little, clearing his throat. His mouth was dry and lips were pained just from the slight movement. “Who are you?”   
  
“Phil, remember? Your new roommate? Are you alright?”   
  
Phil. Suddenly a few events from the morning came back to Dan; Phil walking in with far too little luggage, having a bowl of cereal at 3pm, listening to Muse loudly in his room. Roommate. University. Law. Dormitory.   
  
He’d pulled himself out of it. Slowly the colours in the room became more saturated, and his mind cleared. He could feel the weight of a blanket over his torso, the pillow behind his head. Everything was slowly coming into focus. He took the chance to sit up and take the medication, knowing he’d need something heavier to push off his post-dissociative-episode headache. It could last for days sometimes.   
  
“Sorry. I’m alright.” Dan didn’t really mean it. He knew he’d have to at least slightly explain what happened.   
  
“Did you eat something funny? You’re really really pale... and you’ve been out to it for hours.” Phil looked concerned, brows furrowing together and lips pursed.   
  
“I’m okay, I just fade away sometimes.”   
  
“Fade away?”   
  
“Yeah.”   
  
Dan’s stomach made an unholy sound as he moved again to remove the blanket. Phil laughed under his breath, moving over so that Dan had room to get out of bed.   
  
“Are you hungry? I have some leftover Vietnamese if you want?”   
  
“Yes please.”   
  
\---   
  
Leftover Vietnamese turned out to be code for ‘I ordered extra for you just in case, turns out I was right to do so.’ Surrounded by small empty takeaway boxes with various smells emitting from them, the two boys curled over their laptops while a tiny television hummed away with the daily news. The clock on the wall read 12:33am, and the ticking of the second hand seemed to fill the room more than the monotone voice of a very tired looking newsreader.   
  
“Thanks for ordering extra.”   
  
Phil looked up from his laptop and smiled over at Dan, nodding a silent reply. The room was silent once again, though only for a minute. The tapping of Phil’s keyboard had stopped, and soon the mechanical hum of the old machine silenced altogether as he closed the lid and leaned back on the old futon. Dan looked up from his screen, and over at Phil, who was staring quite intensely at the beige carpet.    
  
“Can you tell me more about whatever that was that happened before? Were you just tired or was it something else?” Phil’s voice was strained. He spoke quietly, awkwardly, obviously not wanting to poke too much. Dan sighed slowly, before replying.   
  
“It’s just dissociation. Nothing too bad. I’ve had it for the last couple of years.”   
  
“Dissociation. I think I’ve heard that name before.”   
  
Dan closed his laptop, guessing they were actually about to have a proper conversation. He didn’t know how he felt about the first topic being his mental health. “It kinda common. There are a few different types, I have the more minor kind. Just means that sometimes when my mind gets a bit too active and full of thoughts and stressors it shuts down a bit and forces me to stop thinking altogether.”   
  
Phil laughed nervously, pulling his knees up to his chest. “That sounds fairly scary.”   
  
Dan chuckled. “It was very scary the first time. My mum thought I was having a seizure. Some doctors say its a form of epilepsy so some episodes can look like a seizure. Not normally though. I’m not in any danger.”   
  
“Well, that’s good at least.” Phil’s eyes met Dan’s, and they both smiled a little. “Sorry for asking about it. We don’t know each other very well, maybe we should have a proper introduction?”   
  
“It’s okay, I’m sorry I scared you. I’m Dan Howell, as you know. I’m studying Law for some reason… but I love video games and anime but if you don’t like anime then we can pretend I never said that?”   
  
Phil laughed. “Nice to meet you Dan, I’m Phil Lester, studying Linguistics for a reason. I also love video games and anime so I guess we’re both in luck.” Dan laughed, happy but more so relieved that he had been paired with someone fairly similar to himself. Phil stretched out on the couch and let out a yawn, looking up at the clock. “We should really get to bed, introductory classes tomorrow!”   
  
“Ugh, don’t remind me.” Dan hopped up and started clearing up the Vietnamese boxes, and Phil stepped up to help. Despite the introductory conversation and therapy session they both still seemed very cautious around one another, making sure not to break into personal space. Eventually, the little living area and dining room were cleared, and they both set off to their respective bedrooms.   
  
“Goodnight Dan.”   
  
“Night Phil.”   
  


**Author's Note:**

> so i hope you like this? please let me know, this is just a short intro to get it all started!! there will be 11 chapters for all 11 songs on the album, please go give it a listen to know what you're setting yourself up for!!! its an amazing album


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